Crosbyton, Ralls meet in annual Crosby County rivalry clash

Ralls can clinch share of District 4-1A, Div. II title with win

Clinching at least a share of the District 4-1A, Division II title would be nice for the Ralls Jackrabbits.

Doing it against rival Crosbyton would make it that much sweeter, and the Jackrabbits hope to reclaim some hardware in the process.

“I think it’s one of the longest-standing rivalries in the state of Texas,” Ralls coach Tim James said of tonight’s Crosbyton-Ralls match up. “I’ll tell you what, I know that for the people in the county, it’s big for them.”

The Jackrabbits and Chiefs meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Chieftan Stadium, with the Crosby County Trophy on the line.

Hoisting the trophy would be more than just one win for Ralls, though.

The Jackrabbits can clinch a playoff berth and a share of the district title with a win against the rival Chiefs.

“I think that would be real big,” James said. “I think kids, they know what’s at stake. They know if we go win we not only win the Crosby County Championship, but we do win a share of the district championship.”

Ralls (6-2, 2-0) hasn’t won a district title since 2007 and is eager to continue its undefeated district run.

The Jackrabbits are led by a two-pronged running-back attack in Kaleb Reese and Jonathan Van Gundy. Reese has 986 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Van Gundy had 905 yards and nine scores.

“We’ve gone a long way in the last two years,” said Reese, who ran for 136 yards on just nine carries in a 62-14 dismantling of Plains last week. “I think we’re better than we have been in a long time, and I think we’ll go over there and beat Crosbyton. It means a lot to every one of the guys on the team. It means a lot to me and it means a lot to all the old people here in Ralls.”

However, the Chiefs have just as much at stake in the annual rivalry clash.

Crosbyton (3-5, 1-1) sits in a tie for third with Smyer in the district. The Chiefs hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bobcats by way of a 39-14 win against Smyer two weeks ago.

Much like Ralls, Crosbyton also is led by a duo of running backs: sophomore Nathan Childers and junior Michael Gutierrez.

“Nathan has a had a breakout year as a sophomore,” Crosbyton coach Brannon Rodgers said. “He’s been paired up with another running back, Michael Gutierrez. We haven’t been able to get those two in the backfield together hardly at all. ... They’ve just battled different injuries every week — none of them major.”

But tonight might be the night both are healthy enough to get onto the field at the same time and wreak havoc.

“My other back right beside me, we both just push each other,” said Childers, who give much credit to his offensive line. “... Ralls, we respect them just as much as they respect us. The (rivalry) games, ... is may the best team win.”